You can rationalize anything...

[ditto1958]

Well, with my Colt 1911 in the shop for who knows how long, it was clear that I “needed” something to shoot instead. A 1911, that is. I headed out today with some $$ burning a hole in my pocket intent on coming home with a worthy substitute to shoot.

I knew what I wanted- a 1911 that had all the same features as a Springfield Range Officer. Except not a Springfield (that’s a story for a different time and place). Unfortunately, the Range Officer seems to be somewhat unique in its feature set for 1911’s in $700-900 price range.

I went to several stores and looked at guns- and prices. At the last store on my list, I checked out the Ruger SR1911. They had the standard 5 inch model, and it was nice- as was the price- but the trigger was underwhelming. I then looked at the newish SR1911 Target Model. Unfortunately, it cost a bit more, but the trigger was NICE.

I took it home, cleaned and lubed it, and headed to the range. I only had an hour there, but I shot a box of American Eagle ammo, and there were no hiccups at all. The sights were dead on right out of the box, and I was a happy camper.

The picture isn’t good- it was a dark and cloudy day here in Wisconsin:

44EEC5C7-FD10-4246-8EBA-CFCAD1E35FD0.jpeg

[JEBar]

good to hear a positive report .... looking forward to future comments as you get to know it better

[dave77]

I have just about rationalized myself into needing a .357 Ruger single action to go with my .357 BBB.

[JEBar]

I have just about rationalized myself into needing a .357 Ruger single action to go with my .357 BBB.

makes sense to me ... I rationalized myself into buying a Henry BBS 44Mag to go with my Ruger Redhawk 44Mag

[ditto1958]

I have just about rationalized myself into needing a .357 Ruger single action to go with my .357 BBB.

Oh, you need one. No rationalizing allowed.

[dave77]

I'm sure I will have one sooner or later. My neighbor's son who made me get my BBB by letting me shoot his is very interested in buying my XDs for his daughter, that will pay for about half of a Ruger.

[North Country Gal]

We have a safe full of rationalizations.

Enjoy your SR1911. We had one of the first ones when the SR was introduced and it was perfectly reliable and very easy to shoot. Accuracy was decent, though not match grade. Overall, very good utility 1911.

Oh, yeah, winter is here in northern Wisconsin. Skiff of icy snow on the ground, this morning. On our range trip, earlier in the week, first time since last spring for fingers getting cold enough to affect our shooting.

[Sir Henry]

We are a forum full of enablers so we won't be judging your rational. I like the picture and know how hard it is to photograph metallic objects.

[ditto1958]

We have a safe full of rationalizations.

Enjoy your SR1911. We had one of the first ones when the SR was introduced and it was perfectly reliable and very easy to shoot. Accuracy was decent, though not match grade. Overall, very good utility 1911.

Oh, yeah, winter is here in northern Wisconsin. Skiff of icy snow on the ground, this morning. On our range trip, earlier in the week, first time since last spring for fingers getting cold enough to affect our shooting.

Back when the SR1911 first came out reviewers tended to like it a lot, but I recall that some of them said the same thing, that it wasn’t all that accurate. I wonder if that’s something they have worked on since then.

[North Country Gal]

With Ruger, hard to say. I'll let it go at that. Those adjustable sights will surely help, anyway.

Besides, accuracy is really a relative thing. We were able to get two inch to two and a half inch groups at 25 yards from a rest with the Ruger and in some circles, that is plenty accurate and in others, just okay. It was 100% reliable and pleasant to shoot, so for me, that was just as important. I liked the Ruger. Should have kept it and probably would have if it had come with target sights, since bullseye shooting is my main interest. At the time, the original fixed sight version was the only one Ruger offered.

Given that today's pistol shooter seldom shoots past 10 yards, anyway, I'd say it was way more accurate than it needed to be. It is now so rare to see people like me shooting handguns at 16, 25 and 50 yards on a regular basis that I've actually had people shake their heads in disbelief when they've seen me shooting at those distances, especially at 50 yards. That kind of shooting is so old school. Old time bullseye shooters like me are going extinct. Seems pointless to most shooters, now. I understand that, what with the popularity and emphasis these days on self-defense shooting and action shooting. Our 7 yard and 10 yard pistol range at the club gets more action than all our other ranges, put together. Just the way things are, now, and I'm okay with it. It's a very different shooting world than when I started with handguns. Besides, even at that 7 yard and 10 yard distance, from what I've witnessed at our range, the limiting factor on accuracy is still way more the shooter than the gun. Good to see so many people shooting their handguns, at least. Beats just buying one for protection and hardly ever firing it. That's a pet peeve of mine.

Anyway, I'd be very surprised if your new SR doesn't make a good showing for an experienced shooter like you. Good looking 1911, too. Would love to hear how it does for you.